Why contactless payments matter to pubs

23rd May 2017

Flying in the face of the stereotype, it appears that Brits very much prefer to avoid queuing when it comes to purchasing their drinks, and those businesses that don't offer contactless payment technology are at risk of appearing out of touch with what the modern customer wants.

In fact, at the close of 2016, research from Barclaycard revealed that a quarter of consumers rated queuing for drinks as the worst thing about a night out whilst another quarter admitted to abandoning drink purchases if they have to wait too long.

It's clear that speed of service matters and ensuring your pub or bar offers contactless payments could well prevent you losing valuable business. After all, Barclaycard also revealed that two out of ten people would happily move on to another pub if the wait time was perceived as too long, and research from WorldPay showed that 65% of consumers would not visit a bar, café or restaurant again if forced to wait a long time.

If there is any lingering doubt in the industry as to the popularity of contactless payments, Barclaycard's figures can put those to rest. The research revealed that spending in pubs and bars had increased by 79% over 2016, ahead of the 62% rise recorded in restaurants and the 69% rise in fast food outlets. The research further demonstrated that half of UK consumers were using contactless at least once a month whilst one in five were planning to increase their usage over the next year.

In the same way that payment processes have become increasingly streamlined when it comes to retail and e-commerce, so too has the time come for pubs and bars to upgrade if they haven't already.